The Department of Music is rated among the internationally leading music libraries in view of both the quality and the scope of its historical collection and its traditionally broad acquisition spectrum. Its holdings currently amount to approximately 347,000 scores, 36,000 music manuscripts, 78,000 music sound carriers and 132,000 music books and music periodicals.

The Music Department offers its services to a broad range of international music scholars, making sources available and giving comprehensive information. Holding many sources of music which are not available or hardly accessible in other libraries, the Department also continually supplies reproductions of historical works for study and research, performances and radio- or record recordings.